To the Sea
by FallTigerKisa
Summary: What if Sabo didn't go out to sea, but went and got his family first? What if Ace, Sabo, and Luffy set out for the Grand Line at the tender ages of 10 and 7? Plus, for a little added fun, I'm making Luffy a girl. For the first half of this story, I'm having fun, but the second half will be canon (aside from FemLuffy) except for AcexSaboxLuffy later. Rating will go up at that time.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey all, this is my version of a 'what-if' scenario; I wonder how long it will go on? Oh well, it'll be fun along the way! This is a FemLuffy version though.**

**This is an AcexSaboxLuffy fanfic so the rating will go up in later (WAY LATER) chapters; and there will be lemon with the three of them. Luffy is a girl so that's fine, but Ace and Sabo will love with the other just as much as they love Luffy; so it IS a polyamorous story.**

**Aside from the fact that Sabo is still alive, and that the ASL Trio set out on their journey way before they should have and where they end up, when Luffy becomes 17 she'll set out for her journey and it'll be canon from there (though, a little different since she's a girl). Until Marineford. But I'm not gonna ruin the surprise.**

**Don't like the polyamorous thing, or the pairing? Then don't read this, cuz I don't particularly care about reading your negative comments about such stuff in my reviews. Also, I refuse to do other pairings, so don't ask.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece; everything of it belongs purely to Oda-Kami-sama. After all, if I owned One Piece then Ace and Sabo would still be alive.**

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_**To the Sea**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_~Goa Kingdom, Dawn Island~_

"No matter how many times you run away, you'll never escape, Sabo! You are our child. I will bring you back no matter how many times you run away! So change your heart and study like Stelly!" The tall, dark-haired noble told the quietly sitting ten-year old behind him. 'Sabo' was a pajama-clad ten-year old with short curly blonde hair and black eyes, and if he had been smiling then you would have seen his signature grin with its missing tooth; however, Sabo was not smiling. In fact, the blonde noble was staring down at the floor with a slightly numb expression on his face as he sat at his immaculate desk in his heavily decorated room. Fresh bandages circled his head and a few band-aids littered his face from where he had been injured from his little excursion the previous night; he had been found after he passed out and was brought back to his parent's mansion to be treated, which had brought their attention to his sneaking out and had engendered this lecture.

It seemed as though he wasn't listening to the man behind him, the one who he had the misfortune of being sired by, his 'father' – Sabo scoffed bitterly at the term - , but he heard every word the man was saying. He could feel the familiar acid build in his chest as darkness circled his heart to drag him down and encage him in its cold embrace, just as it always did whenever his parents spoke to him; he was encaged emotionally just as he was encaged spiritually and physically. He stared dully at the window in front of him, beyond his desk, boarded up so that he couldn't escape again. The planks of wood seemed to mock him, the physical symbol that seemed to embody his imprisonment. He was in a cage, a beautiful cage, but the bars were filled with corroded filth. And Sabo could smell the corruptedness of those bars of this society that he was being chained to; and it was rotten, like they had painted gold over sewage pipes.

The man who Sabo had long since stopped considering his family was still talking, spewing his darkness-inducing filth happily, "Then make your mother and I happy! And that will bring you happiness! Don't you think?" He was smiling, as though he honestly thought Sabo could ever actually _be happy _while he was stuck here, under the thumb of his _"family"_ in a cage.

Acid burned his chest at the familiar words, but Sabo kept his face blank – some aspects of being born a noble were handy, the stoic mask he had cultivated being one of them – as he tried to tune the worthless words out. A nasally voice happily cried out, the sneer clear in the owner's voice, behind him, "Don't worry, father! You have me!"

Sabo ignored his father and the ugly nobleman's brat behind him – _Stelly,_ the orphan who his parents had adopted to replace him when he ran away from their house so many months ago – as his father laughed in his annoying manner, "Ohoho! What a good boy you are, Stelly! All right, let's go buy you some expensive clothes. Tomorrow is the big ceremony! Soon, you will get to see the Tenryubito!" Sabo's father ignored his blonde son and took the hand of his adoptive one to walk out of the room; Sabo was grounded after all, for his late-night disappearance the previous night. It didn't matter anyway; Sabo wouldn't have wanted any new clothes and he certainly wouldn't have wanted to go anywhere with his jailers and their stuck-up rat-son.

The door closed behind him as he continued to stare unblinkingly at the sky through his boarded-up window. The acid still swirled beneath the surface, but he was so used to its burn that he easily ignored it; it was the other burn in his heart that kept his focus. The burn of worry and fear in his heart for his siblings. Not like Stelly – he was a presumptuous brat that Sabo felt no more affection for than his parents, especially since he was showing all the same signs of being rotten at his core like all the other nobles of Goa – no, Sabo meant his _real _siblings, his _real _family. His older brother Ace and his little sister Luffy. And while they may not share a lick of blood between the three of them, they were his family all the same. It was for them, after all, that he had given himself up to this cage. And he would have stayed here, even though the mere thought of it made his stomach clench and his soul shatter, but he would have stayed here because it was to save his siblings lives. But the Goa Kingdom had backed out of their arrangement, and now Sabo had no reason to stay. He had learned, just yesterday, that Goa's King had ordered Gray Terminal to be burned; the lives of all those people lost and he prayed that Ace and Luffy hadn't been caught in the fire. His only two reasons for bending under the rule of his father had been jeopardized, and his father had done nothing to save them. So, Sabo rationalized, this meant that the deal was off and his promise to live by his father's rules were null and void.

He could easily break the boards held in place at his windows and could be back home – his _real _home – in less than an hour; but he was craftier than his brother and sister, and he knew that if he broke out then his father would keep to his word and drag him back. And all he had to do was threaten Ace and Luffy's lives again, just like last time. So, it was with careful planning that Sabo had decided that he would wait to go back tomorrow; he would use the 'big ceremony' as a distraction and leave. He was going to leave this island behind; this island where his father had eyes everywhere. He and his siblings had promised to leave when they each became seventeen, but he was going to leave before then. He couldn't take being here any longer; he needed his freedom, the ocean as his view, the sky as his perch. He needed to get away, away from all the filth and the rottenness of this accursed island, and be free on the sea with the wind in his hair and the rocking of a ship beneath him as his home. It was the only way to be away from is father; the only way to gain his freedom.

There was only one problem that Sabo kept coming back to; should he go alone, or should he bring his siblings with him? He was only ten years old, the same age as Ace, and sure he and their trio were the best fighters on the island, but they were still only kids. Could he actually endanger his family like that? He knew that he was leaving tomorrow, and there wasn't anything his brother or sister could say that would stop him, but could he bring them with him? He knew Luffy wasn't a problem, his little sister wanted to be King of the Pirates more than anything in the world, but she was only seven years old. She was a tiny helpless girl, the weakest link in their trio; and thanks to her Devil Fruit, she couldn't swim, and on the open ocean, that could be a real liability. Could he endanger her like that? And what about Ace? Ace was a hot-head, who had battle issues that Sabo found to be both dangerous and impractical. Ace was their strongest fighter – even stronger than him, though it rankled Sabo to admit it – but he refused to run away from a fight, even when he was clearly outmatched. What would happen down the line, when they came across enemies that were stronger than they could handle? Ace wouldn't run, he would get himself killed. But Sabo didn't want to leave alone; not when he had finally found his family. But what choice did he have?

These thought circulated in his head on an endless loop, as his decision teetered one way and then another. A sudden thought occurred to him, _none of this will mean anything if they were caught in last night's fire._ Sabo shook his head rapidly, ignoring the headache that throbbed from his head-injury – he had had worse while sparring with Ace - , stubbornly ignoring the voice in his head; though the burn in his heart flickered sharply. His brother and sister were _fine_, he could feel it in his bones – though the burn in his heart countered that sensation - , since he had the feeling that if anything were to happen to them then he would _know. _He just had to believe that his siblings were okay, regardless that his brain was pointing out all their faults and all the possible scenarios that they didn't make it out okay.

Trying to make himself feel better, Sabo stared at the slowly darkening sky and thought to himself, as though his siblings were in front of him, _Ace, Luffy, are you guys all right? I miss you. It's like living in a birdcage here. I don't think I can stand to live in this malodorous country any longer. What is freedom? I wonder where it is? _

A sudden vision of his little sister's grinning face, the one where her grin took up half her face and forced her to close her eyes, as she exclaimed, _"I'm gonna be the Pirate King! Shishishishi!" _and of Ace rolling his eyes beside her as he snorted, _"Pirate King? How can a little weakling like you be the Pirate King? And besides, you're a girl. You can't be the Pirate _King, _only the Pirate _Queen,_" _infiltrated his mind. But it was the words that his naïve little sister had uttered next that stuck out in his mind, _"Nuh-uh! I am too gonna be the Pirate King, cuz the King is the one with the most freedom in the world, not the Queen!" _

A tender smile graced Sabo's face as he thought, _Pirate King, huh? Well, if Luffy is gonna be the Pirate King, then being beside her is where I'll gain the most freedom, huh? _His mind teetered even more on the scale of his decisions, leaning over almost completely on one side, as he thought that; but he still had his doubts, that pushed back so that the scale still swayed precariously. After all, he was talking about bringing _Luffy and Ace _with him into who-knows-where, and it was one thing to lay his own life on the line – he was out of options and he would gladly die just so long as he was free while he did so – but another thing entirely to put his two most important treasures on the line; and they _were _his two treasures, his lights in the darkness, and Gods knew he could use some of their light to guide him out of his darkened heart right now.

As his heart wavered in indecision, one last memory reared itself in his mind's eye, a memory of guilt and anguish, but also one of his most precious memories that led to the beginning of the formation of his family.

_Little Luffy sat on a rock, her straw-hat too big for her little head and her face beaten bloody while Sabo tended her wounds, as she cried. "I was so scared…I thought I was gonna die," she hiccupped. _

_Ace, not used to dealing with emotional outbursts, angrily shouted, "SHUT UP! How long are you gonna keep crying?! I hate weaklings and crybabies like you! They piss me off!" Luffy immediately sucked in her lips and bit them, putting on a stern face that looked ridiculous, as she stubbornly tried to stop her crying, sweat pouring from her face at the obvious effort; though the effect was somewhat ruined by the tears still gathered at the corners of her big brown eyes. _

_Ace and Sabo were left blinking at the young girl who had been tortured and beaten to within an inch of her life to keep their treasure's hiding spot a secret, but then Ace was sent off again when she bowed her head and said, "…Thank you. For…saving me…ohh." And then the tears broke through again._

_Sabo had to hold Ace back as he shouted at the tiny girl before them, "WHY YOU!"_

_Trying to calm his friend and cohort down, Sabo reasoned with him, "Hey, hey! She's just saying thank you!" _

_Surprisingly, Ace had calmed down and gone silent as he watched the tiny form in front of him, as though she was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. But then his hotheadedness reared itself at some inner thought, and his black eyes flared again with anger as he shouted at the black-haired girl, "…Anyway…How come you didn't spill the beans?! Those guys have no qualms about killing women and children!"_

_The little girl tilted her head in confusion, her waist-length locks brushing against her shoulders, as she replied, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, "…If I told, then you wouldn't be my friend!" _

_Sabo had stared silently at the little girl in utter bewilderment, wondering if she was an idiot – something he learned much later on that, yes, she really was that much of an idiot – as Ace replied testily, "That's better than dying, is it?! Why d'ya wanna be my friend so bad anyway?! After all I did to you?! And you finally followed me all the way here?!" Ace had been practically seething in his anger as he gripped his pipe with a white-knuckled grip; Sabo could almost hear the metal creaking._

_But they were both shocked speechless when the girl became angry at them, her anger even giving Ace a run for his money, as she shouted at them, "Cause! There's no one else!" Ace looked struck silent as Luffy continued, not quite as frantic as before, "I can't go back to Foosha Village…and I hate the mountain bandits! If I hadn't followed you…then I'd be all alone! AND I'D RATHER GET HURT THAN SUFFER BEING ALONE!"_

It was that last shouted response that echoed through Sabo's head as the memory dissipated. With a resounding _thunk_ that the scale in Sabo's mind slipped to one end and landed, never to be changed as the course of history was written and the decision made. Sabo smiled in relief as the decision made itself known in his mind, the weight of indecision that had been weighing him down suddenly lifted, and he regarded the now-dark room.

He needed to pack for tomorrow, his mind filled with a checklist of things that needed to be done; digging through his closet, he pulled out his street clothes, his top-hat with their blue goggles on the front, and three large luggage bags. He would have to sneak out tonight to go steal some clothing for his siblings, since he would have to undoubtedly have to save up the money he'll steal from his parents to feed him and his two black-hole siblings.

Sabo grinned to himself as he packed his own bag, unknowingly changing his own destiny and the flow of history. And all because he couldn't bear the thought of his little sister fearing she was alone.

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**I'm contemplating giving Sabo a Devil Fruit, but I'm a little stuck on which one. I have four that I'm thinking of: a Wind Logia, and three Mythical Zoans, Raiju, Winged Lion, and Griffon. I wanted him to have something that has to do with the sky or weather (Air) ; since Ace is Fire and Luffy is Earth (I consider rubber an aspect of Earth) but I was leaning more towards a Zoan (because Luffy is Paramecia and Ace is Logia, I figured it would balance it out the most if Sabo was a Zoan user). **

**I would really appreciate it if you guys would tell me which one you think is best; but I'll also take ideas from you guys so long as it follows the trend of Wind/Sky/Flying. No using Devil Fruits that are already being used in the canon story (no Phoenix or Dragon Fruits), but if you guys find other Mythical Zoans with flight abilities then I'll consider it.**

**So, I wanted to do a vote with my viewers and let you guys decide; I'll do a poll until when the ASL Trio reach their destination (you guys'll know it when they get there), and then I'll count up all the votes at the end. I'll take a count for each person and list them at the end of each chapter; also, please don't vote twice (I'll be looking for it) and I won't take in the votes of Guests (because they're anonymous and they can be anyone) so if you want to vote on one then you have to sign in.**

**Please like and review! ^-^**


	2. Chapter 2

**Huzzah! I have reviewers! Kick ass! To my new reviewers and their lovely reviews (I feel the love and you can't begin to understand how happy I am for it ^w^) I reply to you;**

_**Shirani-Chan:**_** Thank you sooo much! I'm glad you like my story and I have no intention of holding it off or putting it on hiatus! So no need to worry (unless I get writer's block; but I'm working to overcome that!) and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you liked last one! ^-^**

_**OtherworldlyArtist**_**: No need to worry about long reviews (I ADORE them), so feel free to post long reviews whenever you feel like it. And AcexSaboxLuffy is MY favorite pairing too! But not too many people do them which makes me kind of sad; so I'm making my own. I don't really like any of the pairings (like, at all); I tolerate them if the story is good and it's not too blaringly obvious, but AcexLuffy or AcexLuffyxSabo are the only pairings that I actually go looking for. Thank you for the wonderful complement on my writing style (I don't get too many of those ^-^) and it was surprisingly easy to synchronize with Sabo as a character. And yeah, Luffy as a girl will DEFINITELY have some interesting effects on the Straw-hat crew when they start forming (I grinned at the mental image of Sanji being glared at by two irate older brothers as Zoro watched on in anticipation XD); but that's quite a ways off yet (just another ten years, sigh). I'm terribly sorry, but in this fanfic Sabo is DEFINITELY having a Devil Fruit; but he doesn't gain one until WAY later (Ace technically gets his before Sabo) and by the time he finds his fruit, the Trio will be among some people that don't have Devil Fruit abilities so it'll be perfectly safe for him to trust Ace and Luffy on their own (somewhat). And I REALLY like the Wind Logia, but I'm personally leaning more towards a Mythical Zoan; I even contemplated a non-bestial Zoan form with wings for him, but I couldn't wrap my brain around the idea of Sabo as an Angel Zoan or Fairy Zoan user (Sabo the fairy XD). But if you can find one that fits him better, I'll gladly put the idea on the poll roster and see how the idea flows. Since you didn't technically choose one of the options (or choose one of your own) I'll leave your vote as blank, though you don't have to actually vote if you don't want to. Thanks for the luck, and I hope you enjoy what I'm writing! Thanks for the review! ^o^**

_**Dementra: **_**Yes, I am definitely making Sabo a Devil Fruit user; but not to worry, Ace has to find his first and by the time Sabo finds his Devil Fruit (whatever one it may be) he will be among friends without Devil Fruit abilities that he can trust himself and his siblings with. But that's not until WAY later on in the chapters. Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy my newest chapter! ^-^**

_**StarPurpleandBlue: **_**Wow, you're another person that complimented my writing style; thank you SO much! And I'm glad you liked my first chapter! The polyamorous thing will be quite fun (and I fully intend to enjoy myself with it *grins evilly*) though I'm a little curious on where my fingers will take me in regards to it too! I really like the Wind Logia idea too, but my mind keeps wandering to the Zoan thing; but it's up to my reviewers to choose *shrugs shoulders*. Ooo, a vote for Wind Logia and a vote for Griffon Zoan in a single reviewer; alright (whoo)! Thanks for your review and the support, and I hope you like this chapter too! Ja ne! :D**

_**Maniac T. Magee: **_**Another Griffon voter! Special aspect huh? Well, Marco's healing ability comes from the rebirthing ability of a phoenix; I don't know any special aspects regarding Griffons, but I'll look it up. Actually, I'll look it up for all three of them since I don't know which one will win the poll, but special aspect I think I can add in. Thanks for the vote and the review! ^-^**

_**evilbrat2013: **_**The Air Air Fruit? That's pretty much the exact same thing as the Wind Logia that I was talking about; isn't it? So, is that what you're voting for? Cuz if you're proposing the Air Air Fruit as a new type from my original 4, then you'll have to give me specified details on what makes it different from the Wind Logia. Thanks for the review! ^w^**

_**Sully-van: **_**Thank you for the compliment on my writing style (I love those!) and I'm glad you looking forward for more! Thanks for the review and I hope you like this chapter too! w**

_**toothless20: **_**I'll keep the pic in mind, thanks! So, you're voting for the Griffon, but you're also voting for a Thunderbird? I will admit, the thought crossed my mind as well, but it seemed a little too tied in with Marco's Phoenix for my taste; but, I'll put it up on the poll for you and my other viewers to consider since it is technically your guys' vote that decides Sabo's Devil Fruit. Telekinesis? If you can give me a solid list of its aspects I might consider it; but only if it has my Weather/Sky/Flying requirements in it (I don't count telekinesis as a form of flight though, sorry). Thanks for the review and the list of choices! Hope you enjoy this chapter as well! ^-^**

_****__MR. BimZan_: **A Seagull Zoan? I did not know about all that information regarding seagulls (so thanks for the history lesson! :D) and I'll add it to the poll. But remember, my viewers are the one's who ultimately choose the Devil Fruit ability; and I don't think a seagull will appeal to them (not as glamorous as a Hawk or an Eagle or something) but I like the idea, especially after all the information you painstakingly researched for it. Thanks for the newest addition to the poll, and I'm glad you're enjoying my story! Thanks for the review and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did last chapter! ^-^**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece (else Sabo and Ace would still be alive) and I give full due to Oda-Kami-sama in his wonderful creation.**

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**To the Sea**

**Chapter 2**

_~ High Town, Goa Kingdom. Dawn Island. ~_

Sabo peeked around the building he had his back against, pulling his signature top-hat down low to cover his face; he didn't need anyone recognizing him and stopping him. The three duffle bags were hoisted over his shoulders, his bo staff in hand as he snuck through High Town's alleyways and shadowed areas, avoiding the crowds assembling at the Harbor where some important guests were to arrive soon.

He was making his way to a private marina he had stumbled upon on his excursion last night while stealing clothes for his siblings. He was thankful that he had found it, else he would have had to steal a ship from the Harbor, and he might have gotten caught before he could sail to the cliff on Mt. Colubo where he could acquire his siblings. The marina was a little farther than the Harbor was from his current point, but it meant he could actually sail to the cliffside without having to be in full view of the Harbor; his departure wouldn't be as dramatic as he would prefer – the symbolic middle finger to his parents – but he supposed it was for the best if it meant Ace and Luffy were that much safer.

Grinning, Sabo remembered the boat he had found; he had originally chosen a fishing ship in the Harbor that was perfect for a single navigator, but since he now had two more helping hands, he had decided that he could be extravagant and had found a larger, more comfortable ship that could house him and his siblings on the open sea in the marina. It was obviously a nobleman's ship – and even Sabo was impressed with how luxurious it was - which made it all the more sweeter. It was a beautiful, Phinisi-style two-masted sailboat, perfect for open waters and small enough for their meager three-man crew, but large enough at 46 meters in length for them all to feel comfortable. It was a dark teak in color and built for high speeds – compared to the bulkier ships that were built for cargo capacity and heavy weaponry – this one would cut through the water like an assassin's blade, quick, efficient, and silent. It also had three decks, which would make things comfortable for him and his siblings, with the upper-most desk an observatory/library; Sabo had already relocated all the books in his room to the boat, as well as the supplies he felt they'd need, so this would be his last trip. All that needed to be done to the boat was retrofit some of the rooms to make gunneries – the boat was obviously built for luxury so there were no guns on board – and a figurehead but that shouldn't be too difficult once they found a proper shipwright on another island. All in all, it was a gorgeous boat.

It was almost too big for just the three of them, but Sabo felt that it was destined to be their boat; he had known it was theirs the moment he had seen the name of the ship, written proudly in the ship's log that Sabo had found in the captain's quarters. It was called _A Self-Liberation_; not only was that eerily spot-on for him and his siblings' deepest wishes, but it was also an acronym for their symbol, ASL.

Steadily, he made his way to the marina, completely bypassing the Harbor, glad that this was his last trip to the boat since he was having to try harder to stay unnoticed by the crowds.

Finally, he made it to the private marina; and there she was, unlike any of the other boats in the marina, a black-sheep among her own kind, just like him and his siblings. The marina was empty, everyone having gone to the Harbor – distantly, Sabo could hear the cheering as a monstrous vessel of a ship docked in the Harbor and their esteemed guest was escorted off – but Sabo didn't care about any of that as he ran for his newly acquired boat, the duffel bags bouncing against his shoulders.

He jumped aboard and threw the duffels into the first doorway he found – _a supply closet? Whatever _– and went about loosening the mooring and rigging so that the dark tan sails unfurled in the wind. Expertly handling the helm – he might not have ever sailed a ship before, but he had read enough books on how to navigate a ship that he could have done it in his sleep – Sabo steered the craft out of the marina, deftly evading moored ships, and out into the coastal waters. He then steered the ship to catch an easterly wind which would blow him straight to the cliffside of Mt. Colubo where he would drop anchor and go get Ace and Luffy.

As he steered the ship in the direction of his new destiny, Sabo grinned happily and said to himself, "It's a beautiful day today! The perfect day to set sail!" Inhaling the salty air, feeling the warm sun and the wind on his skin, Sabo took a moment to close his eyes and simply soak in the sensations; he could almost feel the sun burn away the darkness in his heart, the salty air ridding the smell of rottenness that Sabo had feared was embedded into his soul, and the wind blow away the words of his father like morning mist. He felt light and happy, complete in a way he had only ever felt with his siblings; _was this what freedom felt like?_ A gust of wind ruffled his hair, almost dislodging his top-hat, and Sabo felt that it was the sea answering _yes._

Opening his eyes, Sabo stared ahead of him in elated determination; the only way that he could possibly be any happier, was if Ace and Luffy were with him. The ship beneath him cut through the waters, seemingly anxious to begin their adventures. Setting his small shoulders in determination, Sabo grinned as he thought to the _Liberation_,_ Then_ _let's go get them. And then we can go on the Sea of Adventures together!_

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_~ Mt. Colubo, Dawn Island. Goa Kingdom. ~_

Bandaged and burnt, Luffy stared around the mountain bandit's base. She couldn't sit still, she was so worried about her older brother, Ace. She would have been pacing, but she was exhausted and injured, so it wasn't too hard for the mountain bandits to push her into her pallet. She was nearly frantic with worry for Ace, since he had stayed behind to fight the Bluejam pirates in the middle of a full-blown wildfire.

During the fire at Gray Terminal, Bluejam had intercepted Ace and Luffy before they could escape the large fire, wanting their Pirate Fund Treasure, and had threatened their lives while a fire over two-stories high towered above them and rained debris on them. Smoke had been choking them and they couldn't find the way out of the fire, trying to get to the forest where they would be safe, when the pirates had appeared out of nowhere with scary looks on their faces as they talked about things that Luffy didn't understand. What she could understand though, was that they wanted the treasure that her older brothers had stored up for a really long time. Ace had looked so bewildered that all they could focus on during such a huge fire was treasure, but when they had threatened Luffy, Ace had relented and shown them where to find the treasure, regardless of Luffy's protests. But then the pirates had made them go with them, back into the fire, which Luffy couldn't understand since they had told them where to find it.

When she and Ace had tried fighting back so they could escape the fire, Luffy had gotten caught and was cut in the face by a sword, barely missing getting her eye cut; which was why her head was bandaged so heavily. The hit had cut her bo staff in half, which caught Ace's attention and he tried to rush to her side, but he was caught by Bluejam and held back. Luffy hadn't seen what happened next cuz blood had been pouring into her eyes, but she could feel that she was about to get hurt when she heard Ace shout at them, and they all fell down except for Bluejam himself. Bluejam had then tried to shoot Ace in the head, while Luffy watched on helplessly, when Dadan – the mountain bandit leader who her grandfather had left in charge of watching over her and Ace – had come out of the smoke and pulled the gun away from Ace's head, causing the bullet to narrowly miss her eldest brother.

Luffy had watched in fascination as Ace had wiggled free of the ex-pirate's grip and faced off with the bad man with Dadan by his side. But then Dadan had shouted at them to run and the mountain bandits that had followed Dadan picked up Luffy and started running with her; but she fought their grip and tried to get back to help the fight when she heard Ace say that he wouldn't run. He had done that before, and she refused to leave without her brother; she had already been forced to let Sabo leave, and she wasn't about to leave Ace too.

She distantly heard Dadan say that she would fight with Ace and for the other bandits to run with Luffy, but Luffy hadn't cared and had fought as hard as she could to escape their grip. She hadn't cared that Dadan was risking her life to save them, she hadn't cared that the bandits were trying to save her life, she hadn't cared that smoke was making her lungs burn and her vision turn blurry, she hadn't cared that blood poured down her face making her look like a macabre doll, she hadn't cared that she was exhausted and hurt and that flames were burning her skin and hair, she hadn't even cared that her beloved hat might catch fire; all she had been focused on, all that she had cared about, was getting back to her brother's side to fight. Ace might be the mean older brother who picked on her and called her and her Devil Fruit ability weak, but she could see the shadows of loneliness in his gaze that she knew better than anyone. And if she had left him, then she would be alone, wouldn't she? Sabo was gone, back to the family that had stolen him away from them, and Ace was all she had left; and he had been about to be killed in front of her eyes.

So, Luffy had fought with every bone in her body, completely disregarding Ace's words as he ordered her to leave; but still it wasn't enough, as blood loss took it's toll on her body and she was carried away. Away, into the safe forest where she could breathe easily and where there were no scary flames that burned her skin; but it was also away from her beloved older brother. She had screamed at the bandits for them to let her go as they dragged her to the mountain bandit's home-base, but they had ignored her anguished screams until they finally boiled down to the single heart-wrenching cry of, "_**ACE!**_" And then everything had gone black.

She had woken up a few minutes earlier in the mountain base, heavily bandaged and laying on a pallet, but the bandits had immediately swarmed her to hold her down so she didn't reopen any of her injuries. She fought them and called out for Ace, begging the bandits to let her go so that she could go help him and fight by his side, but the bandits had just started shouting at her. It wasn't until one bandit, Magra, held her by her shoulders and yelled at her, telling her that it had been a full day since the fire and that Ace and Dadan hadn't returned back yet. When Luffy had shouted that they let her go, even more frantic to get to her brother, he had held her down and told her something about her not being allowed outside because of something about the guards doing things to Gray Terminal survivors. But she didn't care, she wasn't listening; all she cared about was Ace, Ace, Ace; he was all that was circulating through her brain, with the exception of her wishing she had her other brother with her, cuz Sabo was nice and he would have let her go and then they both would have gone and searched for Ace and fought by his side. But Sabo wasn't there, and she had to find Ace, but the bandits wouldn't let her. So there she sat, since she was still too injured to fight off all the bandits to get to Ace.

She was still fretting, hugging her straw-hat to her tiny chest in an effort to feel comforted like she always did when she hugged Shanks' hat to her – like he was there with her - , but she still fidgeted as she cried, hoping that Ace was okay. She made quite a pitiful site to any that saw her; her head was heavily bandaged, while her big brown eyes tried to hold in her tears – dark circles smudged under them - making her little half-moon scar under her left eye more pronounced. Her thick, waist-length, messy black hair was in its normal wind-blown state and cascaded around her shoulders like a curtain; if she had decided to bury her face in her knees, then her hair would have completely covered her small form like a cloak. She sat on her pallet with her knees drawn to her chest, the straw-hat squished between her knees and chest as she hugged it. She was dwarfed in one of her brother's too-big t-shirts, with her own knee-length jean shorts peeking out from the hem and her flip-flops sitting forlornly next to her pallet. She was petite for her age and gender, but in her older brother's shirt she looked even tinier, like the smallest of breezes could have blown her away. Her face was scrunched up in her effort to not cry – she was shaking with the effort- , not in its usual grinning state like it should have been.

Running footsteps from outside suddenly caught the attention of everyone, breathes stopping in lungs as hope and dread built up in their hearts. One of the bandits that had left to search for Ace and Dadan burst through the door, a smile of relief and excitement sporting his face as he shouted, "Hey! Guys! They're back!"

Noises of disbelief sounded as the bandit held the door open for them all to see behind him. Luffy ran to the forefront and felt the tears stream down her face at the sight; there was her oldest brother Ace, bloody and burnt, missing a shoe and shirtless while his shorts were burnt in places, but still alive. In fact, his face was utterly determined as he carried the heavy-set orange-haired woman on his back. He was panting and seemed exhausted, covered in soot and bruises, but his black eyes burned with a fierce determination that only Ace could hold. Dadan was easily four times his size and weight, but he still managed to carry her; she was in even worse shape then Ace. Newly fresh bandages covered her and her clothes were singed and covered in blood, but she was conscious as she wheezed.

Shouts of, "Ace!" and "Boss!" sounded around Luffy, but she couldn't care less as Ace set the coughing woman down on Luffy's pallet to happy cries of, "Thank goodness!" and "You're safe!".

As soon as Ace was unencumbered by the mountain bandit leader, Luffy rushed him to wrap her rubbery arms around her beloved older brother, as she shouted his name in unreserved relief and joy, "**ACE!**"

Ace winced as his idiotic younger sister grabbed ahold of him and aggravated his broken bones and bruises; but he was felt himself exhale in relief that she had made it out safe and sound. He could hear the doctor of the mountain bandits speaking to him, but he tuned him out since he had other issues to deal with. He had been trying to pull on one of his shirts when Luffy had decided to cling to him like a monkey; he managed to keep a hold of the shirt and not fall down under the onslaught, but it wasn't easily done as Luffy allowed her legs to fall out from beneath her to the floor and cling with all her might to Ace's midsection. When Ace glanced down in annoyance at his sister's sudden glomp – that had hurt more than he let on, he could've sworn he heard a few ribs creak – he saw that she was staring up at him with her stupid crying face as tears waterfalled messily own her face; he tried shaking her off in disgust, he _hated _emotional outbursts and especially crying.

Feeling his sister trembling against his side, Ace narrowed his eyes as he suspiciously asked, "Luffy, did you think I'd died?"

Rubber arms immediately released him as – which he took full advantage of to slip his shirt over himself – as Luffy tried to unsuccessfully hide her tears. Luffy knew that her brother would see them as a sign of weakness on her part, as well as a confirmation of her fears regarding his death, so she instinctively tried to hide them. She could already see the anger beginning to build in Ace's eyes, but she couldn't lie very well, so she tried to explain herself, "Well-!"

She never even got the chance as Ace made a fist and hit her over the head. The blow didn't hurt, it never did, but she held her hands to her head anyway in offense as Ace angrily shouted, "What're you crying for?!" She cowered as she saw the proverbial shark-teeth come out, and Ace almost smacked her again at the movement, as Ace continued, "Don't kill me off, you idiot!" The bandits watched in relief, as Ace and Luffy started shouting at each other; if Ace was this lively then he wasn't nearly as hurt as they feared he was.

For Ace's part, he was almost always angry at Luffy; even he didn't understand why. The rubber idiot just got under his skin in a way that no on else except Sabo could, but Sabo was smarter than Luffy and knew how and when to diffuse Ace's anger, whereas Luffy did not. It didn't help that Luffy was weaker than any of them and had to always be saved, which Ace sneered at since he was stronger and had had to fend for himself at a very young age; he felt that Luffy should just stop being an idiot and become stronger, physically and emotionally, so that she wouldn't get into so many dangerous situations.

Though he didn't realize it, Ace's anger stemmed from a deep-set worry and fear for his sister; and he was so emotionally damaged that he was unable to deal well with the underlying emotions, so he struck out at its source. He felt the same feelings for Sabo, but he knew that Sabo was strong enough to handle anything based off of years of friendship and battles– Sabo was only a little bit weaker than Ace, which had gained Ace's respect; Sabo was like an extension of himself that he knew and connected to instinctively. It unnerved him how easily Luffy had become just as much an extension of himself and Sabo, like his brother had; but, whereas he was comfortable with Sabo as a piece of him because of his strength, he was uncomfortable with Luffy as a part of their team because of how weak she was. Subconsciously, Ace's brain was telling him to react negatively to Luffy's weakness so that she could become stronger as the third to their connection; after all, if a part of himself - that happened to be named Luffy - was being weak, then all he had to do was push that part to become stronger so that the three of them would be on equal standing. It was how he had pushed his own body to be stronger.

What also unnerved him about Luffy, was how she always seemed to understand him – again, just like Sabo. But, where Sabo knew when to be his silent pillar of strength and never push him because of his intelligence, Luffy pushed all his buttons and got away with it because of some mystical power that only she had. It pissed Ace off, the way she made him feel and how easily she got away with it; it had taken _years _for Ace to consider Sabo his friend, but Luffy had managed to become one of two in his circle of family in just a few _months_. In fact, Sabo and he had only been friends until Luffy came along, because of her the trio were now a _family_. Something Ace had never had before – the bandits were negligent at best, his parents were both dead, and Luffy and his grandfather barely ever came to visit because of work - , which filled a part of his being with a warmth that he had never felt before. Because of who his father was, Ace had always been an outcast and hated, which had warped his personality; he was like a withered plant that had finally been shown the sun, and it was so bright that it nearly hurt. Ace was so used to his feral darkness that the pureness of Luffy and the comforting presence of Sabo, made him weary of them and the strange feeling they evoked in him. He was used to Sabo after long years of being with him, but Luffy was still pushing all his buttons.

Beating on Luffy for not having trust in his strength, Ace felt his anger begin to cool; it helped that physical attacks didn't actually hurt his sister, so she made for a great stress reliever. Ace finally calmed down and sat beside the injured Dadan while Luffy comically rubbed her "injuries" and went outside (now that the worry of her brother being hurt was gone, she felt energetic and was yelled at quite rudely to leave while injured people were resting) to look for some bugs and other small creatures; she was still within site of the base because of an instinctual fear that her brother would disappear. The happy seven year-old crouched happily in the foliage, searching for little creatures that would hold her flea-sized attention-span.

Sitting beside resting mountain bandit leader, Ace began to quietly explain to the other bandits what had happened after they left Ace and Dadan to fight alone, Dadan's coughs and wheezes interspersing the explanation (the doctor said something about too much smoke-inhalation; to which Ace scoffed at, since he and Luffy had been in the fire for longer than Dadan, and all he was feeling was a slight breathiness of his lungs and a bit of hoarseness in his throat and voice). As the doctor went about bandaging Ace, Ace recounted their encounter with Bluejam, "We managed to beat Bluejam somehow, the night during the fire. But our escape was blocked by the flames…" his black eyes glazed over in remembrance of the towering flames and enshrouding smoke that had blocked his view. The bandits gulped, also remembering their own experiences with the same fire, but stayed silent as they waited for Ace to continue.

A hacking cough from Dadan made Ace look up, and he remembered what he was saying so he continued, "Dadan was horribly burned. But we managed to hide out by the riverbank in Central Forest where the flames couldn't reach us. And I went and stole medicine from the city and managed to save Dadan's life." The bandits were not surprised that Ace had managed all this, they had been there the entire time he was being raised and knew his strength; but they were all still grateful that the little ten year-old had saved their leader.

It was Magra, one of Dadan's two shadows, that exclaimed at Ace, "Goodness…Well, I'm just glad you're both alive." The other bandits nodded silently.

The doctor glanced down at his recuperating leader and said sternly, "Boss, you just need to rest and recuperate."

In a hoarse voice, Dadan glanced around the room at all her followers and apologized, "…Sorry to have worried you." She could see the honest relief and worry in their eyes, and she had never been so touched in her life.

Now bandaged up properly, complete with patches on his forehead and cheek and a little band-aid across the bridge of his freckle-covered nose, Ace stared around aimlessly and said to himself, "I wonder if Sabo's worried about us…after what happened at the dump." The bandits startled and just then seemed to have noticed that the blonde-haired brat was nowhere to be found, rather unusual since the three brats had been joined at the hips since Sabo came to live with them. Indeed, it seemed very strange that it was only Luffy and Ace in one place without their third, which cause some of the bandits to panic as they worried for their third brat; it wasn't until Magra explained that Sabo was apparently in High Town - and had been since before the fire broke out - did the bandits begin to calm down.

Ace tuned them all out, his thoughts beginning to drift to Bluejam's words about his brother being happy as a noble with his family; something dark and twisted clenched in Ace's stomach at the remembered words, the insecure part of him believing in the ex-pirate's words. After all, why wouldn't Sabo want to be with his family, especially when they can provide him with everything he ever wanted? What was Ace, compared to blood relatives that could provide Sabo with safety, shelter, food, every luxury he could ever want, and the love of a real family? Ace had no blood relatives left, no real family left, and while his father could burn in hell in Ace's opinion, he would give anything to have felt the loving embrace of his mother who had given her life for his. Sabo had family, both his parents were alive, and surely they loved Sabo just as much as Ace instinctively knew his mother had loved him; so why wouldn't he prefer to be with them? All Ace had to offer Sabo was a beat-up tree house, hard days of catching and stealing for their next meals, nothing more than a few blankets for beds on a wooden floor, and himself – and he knew that he was less than worthless, so that shouldn't even be an option; so the obvious answer would be that Sabo was happy with his parents who could give hi everything. After all, Sabo and he came from different worlds, and just because the feeling of Sabo being away from him was akin to a hole in his soul, that didn't mean that he had to be a selfish bastard and take away Sabo's happiness; if Sabo truly hated it with his family, then he would find his way to Ace and Luffy. Ace would trust his brother in this, and whatever choice he made, he would accept it and force Luffy to accept it as well out of respect for his blonde brother; even if his non-existent heart broke in the process.

Unknowingly, Ace had pulled his knees to his chest and was hugging them – rather loosely, but hugging them all the same – and was staring for forlornly at the ground as he thought about his missing brother. Breaking him from his thoughts, Dadan hoarsely asked him, "Ace...why didn't you run then?" It had been bothering her for a while, as something niggled at the back of her mind, but she was honestly confused as to how the ten year-old was so fearless when it came to danger.

Ace looked up, his short black hair shifting with the movement, as he thought how to explain. He had to look deep inside himself for the answer, and it was always difficult for him to voice his feelings, but he tried for Dadan since she had risked her life because of that decision. Finally, he answered quietly, aware of the other bandits around him looking on in curiosity, "Sometimes…the blood rushed to my head…and I feel like…if I run, then I'll lose something important." Ace folded his arms across his knees and rested his chin against them before he uttered his next words, deeply contemplative, "…That time…Luffy was behind me." Dadan's eyes flared wide as she suddenly remembered where she had heard this before, comprehension sweeping through her. She almost missed Ace's next words, "I don't know…but that's probably why." He started ruffling his own hair, a little embarrassed at the admission that he now realized was probably a weakness of his. And once again, it revolved around the little rubber idiot; which made him want to irrationally smack her over the head again.

Dadan released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as a memory resurfaced in her mind, one where Garp-san – Luffy's grandfather and Ace's true guardian – had come to visit and they had been discussing Ace. Dadan had been curious about some of her foster son's oddities and had wondered at where they came from, so she had asked Garp-san about Ace's parents.

_The two of them were out drinking in the forest, away from the eyes and ears of the other bandits since it was only her, Magra, and Dogra who knew about Ace's true parentage, and she didn't want it to become common knowledge among the other bandits; they were bandits after all, and some of her men were less scrupulous about turning over a ten year-old kid over to the authorities if it meant a bargaining chip if they were ever caught or even for a reward._

_Garp was laughing in his unique way as Dadan sat smoking. Garp then turned to Dadan and explained, "Even faced with enemy troops he couldn't hope to defeat, Roger stood his ground and didn't run." He had an almost nostalgic look on his face as he remembered his long-time enemy. Gold Roger, Ace's father and the former Pirate King, had been Garp-san's greatest enemy as a Marine. Garp was the one who caught the infamous pirate, so he, out of any other marine, would know Roger better than any other of his standing; in fact, it was because of his capture of the great Pirate King that Garp-san was now called "Garp the Hero" and was a Vice-Admiral. It had surprised Dadan to learn that the late Pirate King had entrusted the whereabouts of his unborn son and mistress to his greatest enemy, but when she saw such a look on Garp-san's face, it was hard to imagine them as anything but friends._

_But still, the information that Garp-san had told her made little sense in her highly self-interested mind; after all, why not run when the odds were not in your favor, why stay? Confused, she asked, "Did he want to die? Running is fighting, too."_

_Taking a swig of his booze, Garp replied easily, "That's true, but he wouldn't run. Behind him were his loved ones. If he ran with them, then he might put them in danger. So perhaps it's more accurate to say…it wasn't that he wouldn't run…but that he wouldn't let the enemy get away…so they couldn't go after his friends." A sudden grin lit his face as he exclaimed appreciatively, "He was like a demon then! He once destroyed an entire nation's army for speaking ill of his friends!" Dadan stayed silent as she took that in, letting Garp-san take another swing of his drink before he continued, "It's true he could be violent and short-tempered and selfish when angry," Dadan snorted beside him – so that's where the little brat got it from - , "But he was always as simple as a child." That, however, was not like Ace. Unknown to Dadan at the time, that that was actually spot-on for Garp's own grandchild; though Garp never really made the connection until much later._

_Garp-san's eyes saddened a bit as he recalled the current predicament of his grandson-by-bond (though that was a little much). He tilted his head as he thought aloud, "His childhood was probably not that much different than Ace's. That's why he hated losing his loved ones more than anything…he was lucky enough to stay alive despite his wild ways, and ended up the "Pirate King", of all things." He took another swig, as his eyes softened with a look that Dadan was startled to realize was sorrow, before he continued quietly (well, as quietly as you can expect from someone like Garp), "The world may have hated him, but his friends trusted him completely. And even a marine like myself couldn't hate him…that's why I took Ace in…" He had fallen so deeply into bittersweet contemplation that he had bent his head over his knees and closed his eyes._

_But Dadan had to break the mood because of her shriek of offense, "We're the ones who took him in!" And it was all Garp-san's fault; he had shoved the baby Ace into her care and then blackmailed them with turning them in to the authorities if they didn't take care of the brat. Unknown to her at the time, he would do that yet again in a few more years with another brat, his own flesh-and-blood granddaughter no less!_

_Garp glanced up and raised an arrogant brow as he asked, "…Hm? Do you have a problem with that?" _

_She heard the faint hint of the threat in his words, which infuriated her; but her self-preservation won out over her outrage, just as it always did, as she hastily replied, no hint of her anger towards him in her voice, "N-no, of course not!"_

The echoes of the memory faded as Dadan found herself laying on her pallet, staring at the flustered Ace, as she thought, _You may curse it…but you can't fight your blood._ And that was certainly true.

Meanwhile, outside, Luffy was staring, entranced, at the multi-colored chameleon she had just caught; she held it by the body in one hand as she gaped at it in open-mouthed fascination, the giant Atlas beetle she had found prior to the chameleon still caught in her other hand, momentarily forgotten.

Suddenly, the goggle-eyed chameleon flicked out its tongue in the direction of Luffy's face which caused her to drop it in her surprise; it then scampered off into the underbrush as Luffy pouted at the spot it had disappeared. But then she shrugged and moved her attention back to the beetle in her hand and a brilliant idea formed in her mind. Grinning to herself, she held onto the Atlas beetle and searched around until she found a Hercules beetle; she couldn't stop the grin of excitement that split her face in half, nor did she particularly want to. Grabbing the Hercules beetle, she skipped towards an empty barrel near the side of the base, and placed both beetles on the lid and picked up a stick, urging the two to fight like the barrel lid was some epic arena; and judging by the sparkles that lit her eyes and the surrounding air around her, she was absolutely entranced with the idea. The beetles had just begun their "fight" when Luffy spotted a shadow on the edge of her periphery, and glanced towards it.

Big brown eyes widened in joy as Luffy sprung up and was across the distance between her and the top-hatted figure in three seconds flat, arms outstretched and wrapping around a familiar and beloved blue-clad figure as she joyfully shrieked, "_**SABO!**_"

Sabo braced himself for impact just in time, and only stumbled a little bit when his little sister nearly tackled him to the ground in her exuberance. Tears streamed down Luffy's face as she clung to her other brother, happy beyond belief that he was safe and there with her, rubbing her head against him as she chanted his name aloud; she didn't have to hide her tears like she did Ace, Sabo was the nice older brother who didn't mind when she cried. Sabo grinned at her, his white grin with its endearing missing tooth, but he was beginning to struggle in her embrace, since she was hugging him just a little too tightly and he was beginning to run out of breath.

But he couldn't quite make himself tell her to let go as he saw just how happy his little sister was. Her grin stretched her entire face as she inhaled the oh-so-familiar scent of her older brother – he smelled of the forest, musty books, ink, metal, and his own personal scent of vanilla and sandalwood – while she soaked in the fact that he was there, with her, safe and sound, and her world was complete because her two cherished brothers were there with her, and the only possible way that this could get any better was if she had Shanks and his crew, Jii-chan, Makino, and Mayor Woodslap there with her, and, oh, it would definitely be even better if Makino was cooking her some tasty meat-

She was suddenly cut off in her rambling thoughts as the sound of rushing feet sounded from behind her, no doubt alerted by her shriek, as Ace practically flew out of the door. He took one look at his uncomfortably-constricted brother with a rubbery Luffy attached to him, and shouted "Sabo!" He almost ran and tackled his brother himself, but then he remembered his dignity, and slowed down and put an indifferent expression on his face as he strolled casually over to his struggling brother. He almost felt sorry for him, but then he remembered how Sabo had left them and anger flared in his black eyes and he raised his clenched fist. Sabo would have normally dodged or blocked the blow, but Luffy had wrapped him so tightly in her arms that he couldn't move, which left him in the perfect position for Ace to get his revenge, as he smacked is brother over the head.

Sabo barked, "OW! Stop that, ya jerk!" He didn't ask why Ace had hit him, he knew his brother well enough for that; he struggled to reciprocate the gesture, but Luffy was having none of that and didn't even seem to notice Sabo's struggles as she continued to grin happily up at him and Ace. Meanwhile, Sabo continued to curse at Ace through clenched teeth as he struggled in his little sister's iron grip – _how did she do that when she was technically made out of rubber?_

Ace, who couldn't seem to hold on to his anger at the sight of his brother so ridiculously trussed up by his little sister, felt a tension release in his stomach that he had been ignoring since he had heard Bluejam's words. Sabo was back, he was home; against everything that Ace believed, Sabo had chosen them over his family and a life of luxury. His heart warmed in his chest which made him feel rather irritated; it was a feeling he had only ever rarely felt, like when Sabo had told him he didn't care about who his father was, and when Luffy had told him that she wanted him to live and that she'd be sad if he was gone, and most recently when the three of them had shared that glass of sake and proclaimed themselves siblings.

Sighing, Ace rolled his eyes at his brother's predicament and ordered, "Luffy, you're strangling him. Let him go."

Rubber arms reluctantly released Sabo – cue Sabo's huge inhalation of breath – as Luffy whined in protest at having to let her brother go; she was affectionate by nature, and her brothers very rarely let her hug them, though Sabo was nicer about it. She pouted, at Ace but then her grin returned, as it always did, as she excitedly began to chatter at Sabo about what happened after he left, about what happened at Gray Terminal and with the ex-pirates, and how she wasn't scared and had tried her best at fighting them but Ace had been better before they were separated but now they were back together and Sabo was there too, so everything was okay now.

Sabo was silent as Luffy recounted what had happened, while Ace added some of what really happened when Luffy went off on her tangents and translated for her when she said things he couldn't understand, his black eyes getting darker and darker in worry and guilt. He should have been there, to help his siblings, but instead he was stuck in his parent's mansion safe while his brother and sister were fighting rogue pirates and wildfires and almost getting themselves killed. It was just another layer of guilt added on when he remembered that the Gray Terminal fire had been orchestrated by the nobles of High Town and they hadn't done a thing about it, saying that the lives that were lost in Gray Terminal were not human beings but simple trash. Oh, how he _hated_ his noble blood; the layer of darkness that he was so familiar with was reaching its sinister tendrils around his heart again, trying to drag him under.

He was shaken out of his thought, quite literally, when Ace brought a hand down on his shoulder and shook him. Luffy was still talking, chattering amiably, not having noticed the darkness that had filled Sabo's black eyes, her straightforward mind not even considering the fact that Sabo might feel bad that he wasn't there with them – _why should he feel bad? He would have been there if he could have. He wasn't the one that ordered the fire and he wasn't the one that lit the barrels of gunpowder in Gray Terminal, so he wasn't at fault_. But Ace had seen the familiar shadows descending into Sabo's dark eyes, seen and recognized them for what they were; how could he not when he himself felt the exact same hatred and disgust, his own darkness and shadows, that filled his soul because of the putrid blood that he loathed flowed in his veins. Unthinking, Ace had reached out, not liking the shadows he was so damn familiar with creeping in his brother's eyes, and shook him so as to bring him back. He was safe, and he was here, away from the people that made him feel like that, and neither he nor Luffy were ever going to let Sabo's parents take him away from them again.

Sabo blinked into Ace's serious black eyes, his ears tuning in once more to hear his little sister's voice, and felt the shadows begin to disappear. The lights that were his brother and sister began to melt away the darkness, filling his being with light so that the darkness could no longer have any hold on him. _This_ was why his siblings were his dearest treasures, because they could make everything in his world alright again – even when his heart is at its darkest possible point - simply by being there with him, for him. He read the look in Ace's eyes clearly and knew he understood; nothing more was needed, there were no words that needed to be said or gestures that needed to be made. It was a simple look that was shared between the two and they both understood.

Ace dropped his hand from Sabo's shoulder and turned away, looking irritably at his still chattering sister, as Sabo smiled slightly. He too turned to look at Luffy as Ace rudely interrupted, "Luffy. Shut up." She had somehow gotten off topic and was now talking about something regarding a weird-eyed lizard that attacked her and then a major battle between gladiator beetles – _what? Only Luffy_, Sabo sighed – before Ace's words penetrated her mind and she pouted at him, her rubbery cheeks puffing out way past what a normal child's should have. It was so cute and utterly _Luffy_, that Sabo had to laugh as Ace rolled his eyes again.

A sudden apologetic expression fell across Luffy's face as she turned to Sabo and timidly said, "We had to give up our Pirate Fund Treasure for Blueham cuz he was gonna hurt us if we didn't. I wouldn't let them but Ace gave up the place it could be found at; I don't think it's there anymore." She had glanced at Ace when she said Ace gave up the location and had pouted at him, but Ace simply grabbed her cheeks and stretched them as far as they could go in his irritation.

The sudden reminder of the pirate treasure reminded Sabo of his mission, so it was with a lighter heart filled with excitement that Sabo waved away her words, "That's okay, it probably would have gotten melted in it's spot anyway; plus it was to save your lives, so that doesn't matter. What _does _matter is that we have to get going! I can't stay here any longer, on this damn island, so I'm leaving; I'm leaving seven years earlier than I said I would, but I'm leaving today!"

Luffy and Ace's faces were growing paler and paler at his words – their thoughts in sync, _they couldn't lose him, not when they've finally gotten him back again!_ – though Luffy was a little excited at the idea of going on adventures, she was more upset that Sabo was leaving her so early. They had promised to leave when they were seventeen, she knew that Ace and Sabo would technically leave before her but not this soon! Ace was thinking that _he _was the one that was supposed to leave first, as the eldest, and Sabo was trying to leave them before the appointed time. Ace's eyes began to darken in anger, his negative emotions automatically transferring into anger, as his fear built; though he'd never admit that he feared anything.

But before either of the dark-haired siblings could protest their brother's words, Sabo grinned and beat them to it, "So hurry up you two! The ship wants its three crewmen on board so we can start our adventures already!"

Luffy and Ace blinked, and then Sabo's words sunk in and Ace's jaw dropped as Luffy asked, "Three? Who are the other two crewmen you got for yer ship, Sabo?" Her eyes were confused and hurt at the thought of her brother taking other people with him but not them.

Sabo and Ace sweat-dropped at Luffy's cluelessness, as Ace smacked the back of her head and barked, "He meant _us,_ you idiot!"

Luffy whined at the strike, even though it didn't actually hurt, but when Ace's words penetrated her mind her brown eyes lit up like stars and she exclaimed, "Really?!"

She looked to Sabo who was nodding enthusiastically, his own grin matching her own, and then she whooped as she started to bolt for their tree-house base, where all of her important stuff was. Ace was about to follow after her in his excitement to get going too, but Sabo called to them, "Hey wait! I already got the stuff from the tree-house before I came to get you two! It's already at the ship, all I needed was to pick you two last!" Luffy and Ace stopped in their tracks and turned to stare at Sabo's grinning face.

Luffy was practically sparkling as she threw her hands up in the air and exclaimed, "We're all goin' together! I get to be the captain!"

Ace immediately hit her over the head and yelled at her, "Hell no! You're not the captain!"

Sabo had paled at the idea of Luffy being their captain, but when he heard Luffy whine, he diffused the situation, "It's alright Luffy, you're not the captain but neither is Ace or I. We promised that whoever beat the Tiger Lord would become captain, but we all needed to be there to beat him; so none of us are captain." Luffy seemed to be considering that as Ace mumbled under his breath, something that sounded suspiciously like, "tch, should've taken the title when I had the chance" but Ace didn't disagree with Sabo.

Sabo felt a little worried when he noticed Luffy's face begin turn red, her face scrunched up like she was in pain, before she suddenly opened her eyes and her face cleared up as she shouted, "Then if I'm not captain and Ace and Sabo aren't captain either, then we have a mystery crew!" Ace and Sabo blinked before Sabo started laughing as Ace rolled his eyes as he shook his head in exasperation – really, only Luffy.

Sabo snickered as he patted his sister on her straw-hatted head, saying indulgently, "Yes, yes, Luffy. We have a mystery crew." Luffy beamed at her older brother, proud that she had gotten it right; while Ace released what sounded like a snort.

Eyes gleaming up at her brothers, Luffy said, "What are we waiting for?! Let's go!"

Before she could turn, Sabo grabbed her rubbery arm and pulled her back from her headlong rush towards the forest – _The little idiot didn't even know which way the ship was, _Sabo thought with a mental eye roll at his little sister – as he said, "Wait! Aren't you forgetting something?" Ace paused from his own rushing towards the forest path.

Luffy and Ace stared at him blankly, and Sabo had to refrain from face-palming himself as he sighed in exasperation at their denseness. Turning to Ace, Sabo raised a brow and said slowly, like one would to a young child, "It's proper manners to say goodbye to people who have cared for you before you leave." The light came on in both sets of blank eyes, Ace blushing at the reminder that he was supposed to be minding his manners, as Luffy grinned and turned back to the mountain bandit base and ran inside. Ace and Sabo followed behind her at a slower pace.

Inside the mountain base, Dogra, who had came in the back entrance when Sabo had arrived and hadn't noticed the Trio out back, was beside his Boss's side and held an arm to his eyes as he cried in relief; he was Dadan's third-in-command after Magra, and he had been sent out earlier to search for any sign for Ace and Dadan. He was a small man, even smaller than Luffy, with turban around his head. With him there, that meant that all of the mountain bandits were back and in the base, all of them circled around their resting Boss and a full-on drinking party was in full swing.

Little Luffy, the only other female of the residence aside from Dadan, came barreling into the base, her two brothers following behind her. A few relieved shouts of "Sabo!" and "Brat!" and "He's safe too!" came from the partying bandits as the trio lined up side-by-side, all three of them grinning, and shouted in unison, "Bye, guys! We're goin' on our adventures early! See ya!"

The bandits blinked as and then they shouting out things like, "What d'ya mean you're leaving?!" and "You're leaving just like that?!" and "Ungrateful brats! Where do ya think you're goin'?!". The bandits started to rush the three, but they turned back to Dadan when the large woman was angrily trying to get to her feet; trying being the key word. Magra and Dogra flanked on either side of her and tried to help her up, as she angrily shouted, "Where the hell do you three brats think you're going?! Eating all my food and making my life a living hell, and you think you can leave just like that and not give me anything in return?! What the hell do you expect me to say to Garp about this?!"

But Ace and Sabo had already rushed out the door, no longer listening to anything the bandits were saying. Luffy looked like she was about to rush after them before she turned back and smiled as she said, "Oh, almost forgot! Hey, Dadan-ossan!" – "I'm a _woman!_" – "I almost forgot to tell you, but I hate mountain bandits!" She grinned happily as she said it and some of the bandits felt a little hurt at her words, but it was Dadan that shouted, "Shut up, brat!" But Luffy ignored her as she continued on happily, "But I like you guys!" Dadan and the other bandits burst into tears as she waved happily at them, "Thanks for everything, you guys!" And then she ran out the door, chasing her brothers who had finally noticed that she wasn't behind them and had impatiently waited for her.

The bandits followed behind her, all of them piling out the door but going no further, as Sabo and Luffy waved behind them at the bandits with matching grins. But Ace didn't wave, instead he turned around and shouted seriously, "Thanks for everything!" The bandits burst into tears at his words, their own farewells and words garbled to incoherent shouting as they waved at the now running trio.

Ace caught up to his brother and sister easily, the three of them now running side-by-side with matching grins of anticipation on their faces. Little legs pumped faster, Ace and Luffy both attuned so closely to Sabo's body-language and positioning that they knew when he was about to turn and in which direction they were going, all of them running together in tandem as though they truly were one person in three little bodies. Luffy grasped her hat to her head and Ace grinned as they both realized where they were headed; their cliff that bordered the sea. It was their special spot, the same place where they had proclaimed themselves siblings. Sabo turned his head to grin at them each in turn as he saw their eyes light up. Onwards they raced, through the forest that Ace and Sabo had spent their lives and were considered the kings of the food-chain, through the forest that Luffy had chased after Ace all those months ago, over the stream where Luffy had been eaten by her first alligator that her brothers had saved her from. Through the forest of their childhood and memories, and onward towards their future and destiny.

The meadow that signaled their cliffside was just ahead, through the trees ahead of them. The three put on a burst of speed and raced through the trees to reach a beautiful cliffside meadow, a single tree near the edge and nothing but blue sky for miles in front of them. Below the cliff was a fifty-foot drop into the sea; and anchored right at the bottom of it was a beautiful, medium-sized, wooden Phinisi-styled sailboat. It was plenty large enough for the three of them to spar on deck, but was small enough to be navigated by three crewmen.

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy didn't stop running and never hesitated as three of them went vaulting off the cliffside. They fell, Luffy's shrieks of laughter sounding in their ears, as the wind ruffled their hair and clothes, Luffy instinctively holding her hat to her head as it ruffled atop her head with her hair streaming out behind her. Ace's eyes glinted at the sight of the boat and Sabo grinned at his expression. They fell and landed with perfect precision on the deck of the dark ship; though Luffy slipped over her own feet and fell on her butt. Sabo and Ace laughed at her clumsiness, and Luffy pouted and stuck out her tongue at them. But Sabo started shouting out orders for Ace and Luffy on how to pull up the anchor and unfurl the sails; Ace and Luffy jumped to it, and though they'd never done this before they worked together like a well-oiled machine and soon the ship was sailing smoothly.

Sabo took the helm, his brother and sister running up to stand beside him as they sailed parallel to the cliffside; after all, they couldn't leave the island yet. They still had to go say goodbye to a certain green-haired bar owner that they all loved as their older sister/mother figure; they couldn't leave without telling Makino goodbye first, and even Ace and Luffy knew that.

* * *

_~ Royal Palace, Goa Kingdom. Dawn Island. ~_

While Sabo, Ace, and Luffy are sailing for Foosha village, a slave-carried palanquin was crawling on hands and knees up the steps of the Royal Palace. Saint Jalmack, a Tenryubito, sat on his palanquin stoically, hiding his irritation at the slave's slowness – he had already decided that he would kill this slave off and trade him out for another for his palanquin bearer. The suited man with the cube-shaped bubble-helmet – it kept him from having to breath the same air as the _commoners _- was irritated at the slow process. He was an ugly fat man, with dark skin, heavy jowls, and a wide chin; he wore a thick white suit adorned with medals-like knobs on the front, with a white cape that billowed around him, dark sunglasses, and a red earring glinted on his right ear. His had a hint of dark stubble across his upper-lip and his dark brown hair was pulled up into long cone-like hairstyle that climbed upwards before curling over in two places at the apex.

In his hands, were a pair of chains that trailed behind hi to two bound slaves that trailed behind him. His guards preceded him and trailed by his side on his way up the steps to the royal palace. He cast his gaze around at this place called _High Town _and was pleased at the utter cleanliness of the place; as soon as he was getting home he was ordering his slaves to clean his own palace like this town was, after all, there couldn't be any such _common _place that could boast itself as more clean over a Tenryubito's palace.

When they finally reached the palace, it was nice but not as nice as his lowliest summer home, he stepped off his palanquin in the royal palace throne room. The king and queen, as well as the nobles and guards, were all on the floor with bowed heads. Jalmack crossed the room, taking it as his right, and seated himself on the king's throne. Turning to his guard, he gestured for his large bazooka-rifle that the guard handed over immediately, and shot the palanquin-bearer slave with no expression. The poor man exploded, only his burnt corpse falling to the floor, as his last thought was, _Thank goodness._

Nobody moved to give the man medical care, nobody moved like anything had happened at all. Jalmack sat back in the throne casually, handing his rifle back to the guard without a word, and turned to the king. The man was the most elaborately dressed man their, with the exception of Jalmack himself, and Jalmack bade him lift his head. Everyone else stayed where they were as the King raised his head as Jalmack had ordered; though, he didn't raise his eyes to look directly into the Tenryubito's. In a fawning voice, the King of Goa Kingdom said to Jalmack, "Welcome, Saint Jalmack-sama, to our unworthy kingdom. I hope that your travels were well?" Jalmack gave a nod, his mind already on the reason for his arrival here, as the lowly king before him smiled happily and said, "I hope our lowly kingdom has treated you with the utmost respect you deserve, Saint Jalmack-sama. Does this lowly kingdom please you? We've been preparing for your arrival for months so that not a speck of dirt could be found in your wondrous presence."

Completely disregarding the man's words, Jalmack commanded, "I am here for a specified reason. I require the presence of one of your nobles, Outlook III, if I recall correctly. Bring him to me at once." The king was startled at his words, but he immediately turned to one of his guards and ordered for the presence of the man the Tenryubito wanted.

Quickly turning back to Saint Jalmack, the king began fawning over him and currying favor as he waited for the nobleman to be brought forward; something Saint Jalmack was so used to that he saw it as his right. He was also so used to the flattering words, that he was easily able to tune him out. Remembering why it was that he was there, Saint Jalmack sighed in irritation as he thought, _Damn, I shouldn't have taken that bet. Now, it's gotten me, the great Saint Jalmack, here just to bring some brat to you. Damn you Donquixote, you sneaky bastard. You already have a son, what do you need some bastard-child of yours for?_

* * *

**Ten thousand words worth of actual story-line! But with everything added on, it's over 11,600 words; that's 19 pages by the way! In three days! Huzzah! Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews!**

**Hm, the last sentence of the Tenryubito; I wonder what he meant. *whistles innocently to myself as I grin evilly* :D**

**Also, to anyone that's curious, the Phinisi-styled ship that I based _A Self-Liberation _off of, can be found as the first picture on google images if you type in 'alila hotel phinisi'. It's a gorgeous ship and it took me forever to find; I needed a ship that was big enough for open-waters and the ASL Trio's sparring, but small enough for them to navigate on their own. When I saw it, I felt chills go down my spine and I was like "That's the one!" Only thing that's different, is that the actual boat is a luxury hotel yacht, and the fanfic one is more like a sailboat ship; oh, and the inside décor is completely different from the décor in the photos, it's only the outside that's the same.**

**Now, time for the poll results so far:**

**Wind Logia: 1 (**_**StarPurpleandBlue)**_

**Griffon Zoan: 3 (**_**StarPurpleandBlue, Maniac T. Magee, toothless20**_**)**

**Thunderbird Zoan: 1 (**_**toothless20)**_

**Seagull Zoan: 1 (****_MR. BimZan_****) (I apologize, but your name wouldn't show up unless I added the space for some reason)**

**Okay, Griffon Zoan is in the lead so far! Alright! I also wanted to post a correction that I'm making in my previous chapter that some of you might not read, but I'm changing one of my four original ideas for his Devil Fruits, the Sphinx; I'm rewording that into a Winged Lion. I meant to put that in the first time, but my fingers were the one's typing while my mind was elsewhere, and it wasn't until I went back and reread what I had wrote, that I realized that that wasn't what I meant; so, sorry for the confusion.**

**Also, the rules to the voting thing, is that you can vote for multiple things, just not the same thing twice; like voting for a wind logia in the first chapter and then voting for it again in the reviews in the second chapter (that's cheating). Which is why I'm keeping track of everyone that votes for something, so that there's no double-dipping.**

**Anyway, please review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Later!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone! I'm back! Thanks once again to all my lovely reviewers! This I say to all of you:**

_**Kiyomi di Vongola: **_**…Thunderbolt…Zoan…? Um…how…? A zoan, by definition, is a Devil Fruit user that can transform into another creature; and lightning is not a living creature. If you meant a Thunderbolt logia, in which the user becomes the actual element of lightning, then I'm afraid I cannot do that either. The Lightning Logia Devil Fruit is already taken by a canon One Piece character by the name of Enel; he's the major bad guy from the Skypia Arc. If I give Sabo the Lightning Logia Devil Fruit, then I cannot do that part of the storyline in my fanfic, and that part is a **_**very **_**important part of the storyline. Which is why I absolutely **_**cannot **_**have Sabo have any of the already-used Devil Fruits. So, no dice. Sorry. But you can come up with something else with a weather ability, if you'd like. Thanks for the review though! ^-^**

_**Shirani-Chan: **_**Another griffon voter, alright! Oh, thank you very much for the compliments! And no, it's not too much XD. I always love hearing my fanfics complimented; I don't particularly mind if they're extravagant or subtle (though, I'm kinda dense so the extravagant one's pop out more to me :D). Thanks for the review and the vote! ^-^**

_**TheBlackSeaReaper: **_**Thank you for the compliment! I hope you like this chapter too! ^-^**

_**DianaLea: **_**Another Wind Logia voter, cool! And thank you for the lovely compliment! Thanks for the review and the vote! ^-^**

_**dosentmatter76: **_**Don't worry, I'm updating soon. And, wow, best fic in months?! **_**Thank you! **_**That's, like, a **_**SUPER **_**compliment XD! Thanks for the review and the vote! I hope you like this chapter too! ^-^**

_**toothless20: **_**No, you're not confused. But, I'm afraid I can't tell you the details; but not to worry, the information will reveal itself later. Patience please. But thanks for the review! ^-^**

_**The Red Harlequin On The Luna: **_**A definite read? Oh, thank you! Yes, I'll have their childhood as it's own arc until the time Luffy reaches 17, and then I'll continue the fanfic as the canon story with all the original Straw-hats (though, not all things will be exactly canon of course) and their adventures; as well as some scenes that flash back and forth to what Sabo and Ace are doing as well. Doffy?! XD OMG! I freakin' died! Doffy's baby brother? Maaaaaybeee... Maaaaaaybeee noooooooot ^x^. You'll find out in later chapters. Awww, thank you for the compliments! Good story, good grammar, and good spelling! Thank you ^-^! So, Tengu and Garuda? After I wrote my first chapter, I actually thought it over and searched for several mythological avian-humanoid hybrids, and one of the first creatures I found that I was interested in were the Garuda ^-^! So, lovely coincidence! I'll add them both to it (I didn't particularly like the Tengu cuz of what they look like in the physical descriptions, but personality-wise I do like the idea so I'm not adverse to the idea). I chose not to get the final say as the author; I'm leaving it to my viewers and I'll roll with whichever one gets the most votes. I did not know that there were different forms of Tengu nor any of that stuff about crows, so thanks for the history lesson! I do like your recommendations, so I will definitely add them! My muse is thankfully always inspirational (it's always active; so much so, that the most problems I have with it is that the inspiration has a tendency to speed so far ahead and in such random directions that I fall off track of current ideas and never get to finish them) and plot-bunnies carnivorous?! XD What in the- how is that even possible?! In that case, I shall metaphysically turn my plot-bunnies into plot-lapahns! XD Thanks for the review and the multi-votes! Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you enjoyed my last two! ^-^**

_**Bluebird42: **_**Thank you for the compliment!****And yay! Another ASL shipper! Huzzah! I agree that they should have more of that pairing; I got so frustrated by this that I decided to write my own ^-^! And you're welcome! Aww, thank you for looking forward to my story! I hope you'll like my actual shipping scenes; but those don't come until much later (they still have to grow up a bit more after all!). Ooooo, winged lion voter! YAY! You're my first one! (To be quite honest, the winged lion zoan is my favorite of the choices, but I'm gonna do another AcexLuffyxSabo One Piece fanfic and Ive already decided that that's the DF that I would give to Sabo in that one. So I'm letting my viewers choose for this one! ^-^) And please, promulgate all you wish! I guess you didn't read the comments in my first chapter, cuz if you had then you would know that the Raiju was one of my four original ideas for Sabo's Devil Fruit (Wind Logia, Winged Lion Zoan, Raiju Zoan, and Griffon Zoan). So, I'm not adverse to the Raiju vote either! You're the one to complete my four-set, so now all my original ideas are officially added to the poll roster, so thank you! Thanks again for the votes and the review! I hope you like this chapter as you did my previous two! Also, I have a question for you and my other ASL shipper fan. At what age do you think Luffy would be ready to experience her first sexual attraction for Sabo and Ace (it's been bothering me for a while now)? I already know when I'll have Ace and Sabo get together, that's all planned out, but I don't know at what point would be an acceptable age for Luffy (physically, socially, and mentally; cuz, c'mon, this is **_**Luffy**_** we're talking about). I researched it, and it turns out that most people have their first sexual attractions when they're around the age of 11 (not sexual experiences, mind you, just the physical attractions and indicators) but I don't think that would be a good age for Luffy to suddenly start having sex (that's a form of pedophilia in my mind, and it would just wig me out to write it); so I'm asking what a good age would be for Luffy for her first lemon scene that will be acceptable physically and socially? It doesn't have to be answered soon, I have quite a bit of time before then, but I would like an honest opinion (and please keep in mind that Ace and Sabo are three years older than her). Thanks again! ^-^**

_**OtherworldlyArtist: **_**HOLY CRAP! You wrote **_**a lot **_**for your last review. When I refreshed my screen for my reviews and I suddenly saw your one that listed almost half-way down the screen, I couldn't believe my eyes! But it gave me the biggest grin on my face, and my mom looked over my shoulder when she heard me exclaim and even she agreed that you must've **_**really **_**liked my story! Thank you so much! And yeah, the in-story response thing, I know what you mean; that's the same way I felt when it happened to me the first time (one of the best feelings ever!). Love long reviews; cuz then I know in better detail what my viewers like in my stories and that helps me as well as gives me personal satisfaction. Yeah, gotta do the ASL story myself *evil grins*; but I totally look forward to reading any that you plan on writing (based off of how concise and well structured your reviews are, that makes me believe that you'll be a very detailed author, and I personally can't wait ^-^!). THANK YOU! YES, TO EVERYTHING YOU HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE CREW PAIRINGS! I'm the exact same way, I just didn't know how to word it properly! Thank you for wording it that way; I knew exactly what you were saying! I spend a lot of my time reading novels, and I also do old-school D&D roleplaying games (like with the dice and props and stuff) so I can easily slip into different characters and their mindsets; that skill definitely helps me in my writing, so switching between the different characters is very easy (Ace is actually the easiest for me to slip into; I have a bit of a darker and introverted personality, so I connect with him, Robin, and Zoro on a very soul-deep level). I know; FairySabo XD! My sister actually made a fairy character in the Sims 3 and named him Sabo; that's where that little inspiration came from (I can just imagine Ace laughing while Luffy tries to catch him as he zips around). You can actually vote for multiple DF's for Sabo, just not the same one twice. So, I'll put you down for Wind Logia, but if you want me to add in Griffon and Thunderbird (and any of the other one's you want) too then you can tell me in your next review ^-^. I love the "symbolic middle finger"; I actually read that in a novel at one point and it has stuck with me for all these years (I just had to add it in; it fit XD). Yay, finally someone who actually looked at the boat pic! You're the first one to have done that (or at least told me they did); and I absolutely **_**love **_**having it as detailed as I can. The name, the design, the actual ship itself, I was designing a ship that would be just as loved as **_**Merry **_**and **_**Sunny; **_**I actually designed it for a specific purpose, else I would have just given them a little fishing boat like what Sabo originally had. But the reason for why the ship is so luxurious is a secret for now; though you'll find out relatively quickly :D (not sure how everyone will react to the why, though; but it's my fanfic). Regarding Ace, Luffy, and Sabo's characters and reactions, I was doing everything that I felt was **_**them, **_**like that's how Oda would have made them react; Ace's mindset was actually like about Sabo when Bluejam said those things (the proof is in the manga) and while I agree with you whole-heartedly that I'd like to smack-and-hug him for his thoughts, that's what I felt his thoughts would have been like. Luffy's simplistic; I just had to add in a lot of rambling and tangents and simple-mindedness (it was harder than I thought it would be; I had to keep going back and rereading "her" parts so that it felt right). I contemplated the hair-stretchiness too, but, in all honesty, I'm only giving "her" long hair in this one because my other ASL pairing story will have it where Luffy is hiding "her" gender so "she'll" have the short hair; so I just felt the need to for "her" to have long hair for this one (there's no other particular reason). Yay, I love their connection and I always felt that it was more akin to a soul-mate kind of bond (unlike Luffy and Zoro who are connected on a primal way, Luffy and Ace were utterly connected in thoughts, bodies, and soul) and I was trying to convey that feeling. And, well, yeah, Luffy **_**is **_**kinda Ace's stress reliever (he's everyone's if you think about it) since he knows he can be as rough as he wants without it actually hurting "her"; I always felt that Ace was always a bit relieved that he could be himself with Luffy on all levels and Luffy would still take him any way he came (violent tendencies and all) without having to worry about the consequences of actually hurting Luffy. I always figured Ace and Sabo (Zoro is the same way too) would have absolutely no bias on who their fighting; the only difference is Ace with women, but that's on a personal level (remember how he blushed with Makino?) since he sees a parallel between Makino and his mom (that kind of warm-hearted person; whereas he feels nothing about discriminating against Dadan as a woman because she's not warm and he's constantly battling her as a food-opponent). I was actually gonna put something in about the lower-to-the-ground smoke inhalation and monster-children too, but when I typed it out, I realized that Dadan would have been saying it, but since it was in Ace's perspective at the time I imagined he was tuning her out (it was actually quite funny XD). Yeah, poor Dadan XD! I had more fun adding a bit of darkness to Sabo (it made me feel closer to him) but it's okay cuz it's gone now (at least for now). Sabo is the obvious brain of the Trio and the most polite, and I wanted to add the goodbye that Luffy said, specifically, but knowing "her", "she" would get easily distracted (as would Ace); it was easy to have Sabo do the reminding (he always struck me as the type that would do those types of things for his siblings). I contemplated adding in Luffy falling into the sea, but I felt that it would have broken the mood. I **_**do **_**love Makino; if I could, I would totally have them "steal" her with them. But that wouldn't do for what I have planned for them later on; oh well *sigh*. Yes, THAT man! Someone who can see it; yay! And no, not good; but **_**great **_**for plot development *evil laugh* (just imagine how I can screw up the Dressrosa Arc now!). Longer dialogue; duly noted, I shall keep that in mind (see, this is why I prefer **_**long **_**reviews, people actually **_**tell **_**me how to make the story better!). Not bothered at all. Thank you for the **_**super **_**long review! You input is always welcome; I just hope that you're not offended at how long **_**my **_**response was XD. Also, I have a question for you (I'm also asking it of another reviewer who said how much they loved the ASL shipping); at what age do you think Luffy would be ready to experience her first sexual attraction for Sabo and Ace (it's been bothering me for a while now)? I already know when I'll have Ace and Sabo get together, that's all planned out, but I don't know at what point would be an acceptable age for Luffy (physically, socially, and mentally; cuz, c'mon, this is **_**Luffy**_** we're talking about). I researched it, and it turns out that most people have their first sexual attractions when they're around the age of 11 (not sexual experiences, mind you, just the physical attractions and indicators) but I don't think that would be a good age for Luffy to suddenly start having sex (that's a form of pedophilia in my mind, and it would just wig me out to write it); so I'm asking what a good age would be for Luffy for her first lemon scene that will be acceptable physically and socially? It doesn't have to be answered soon, I have quite a bit of time before then, but I would like an honest opinion (and please keep in mind that Ace and Sabo are three years older than her). Thanks again for the review! ^-^**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of One Piece; all of that belongs purely to Oda-Kami-sama.**

* * *

**To the Sea**

**Chapter 3**

_~ Foosha Village, Goa Kingdom. Dawn Island. ~_

A nice sea-breeze blew through the quiet harbor-town of Foosha Village, causing the town's signature windmills to spin lazily. The village smelled of the sea, and a certain dark-green-haired bar owner took a small break from her sweeping to inhale the fragrant air. The pretty young woman had dark-green hair to her shoulders that was covered by a yellow kerchief; she also wore a white blouse with no sleeves that allowed the pink-striped shirt to show underneath it, a long light-blue skirt that showed off her hourglass-figure, and orange sneakers with white soles. The woman was named Makino, the owner of the Partys Bar that she was currently sweeping the deck of. Dark brown eyes opened to smile up at the sky as she soaked in the beautiful day.

Makino grinned to herself as she felt warmth spread through her heart, and she had a feeling that something good was going to happen today. She had had that feeling before, and it had never been wrong; and she had an idea that it had to do with her favorite little girl and her older brothers. Just as soon as she had thought that, she heard a commotion coming from the docks. Well, that was unexpected. Maybe it had to do with Shanks and his crew instead of Luffy? After all, Luffy would come down the mountain path, not the harbor. Right…?

She took a moment of contemplative thought before she set the broom against the deck's railing and started making her way towards the docks. She started out at a moderate walk, but by the time the water was in her view, she was jogging. She was flat out running by the time she saw the unfamiliar ship – definitely not Shanks' – that was pulling into the docks; especially when she saw a _very _familiar little girl swinging from the rigging like a monkey. Brown eyes were wide as she saw the three children steer the dark ship into the docks and heard the familiar high-pitched shout of, "Makino!"

To say Makino was surprised would be an understatement, but she still waved at the three children that were grinning at her from the ship. A moment later and Makino had an armful of little girl as Luffy swung herself from the rigging and launched herself into Makino's arms. Makino could barely hold onto the small girl that she had helped raise, as her legs fell from under her at the onslaught. She landed with a _thump _on her rear, but she was luckily unhurt as Luffy continued burrowing closer into her favorite mother/sister-figure; sure Dadan was technically her foster mother, but it was Makino that her and her brothers adore and loved as their "mother".

Luffy began chattering at her next favorite person in the world (after her brothers and Shanks, of course) but Makino couldn't make out anything that she was saying since Luffy had burrowed herself into Makino's breasts, which had quite the muffling effect. Makino looked up in time to see Ace and Sabo jump from the railing of the ship and come running up to the young woman and their rubbery sister. She barely noticed that people were beginning to gather around as shouts of, "Luffy!" and "Look who's back!" and "Who're those two?" sounded from the slowly growing crowd.

Sabo ran up to the woman excitedly, while Ace made his way at a slower pace, his face suspiciously red as he bashfully approached the woman; they had both adored Makino since the first time they saw her and knew that if the three of them could choose who their true mothers were, then they would choose Makino. She was the only reason they were even there and not out at sea. The two boys also ignored the crowd that was forming as they made their way to Makino and Luffy, as Ace yelled irritatedly, "Luffy, let Makino go. She can't hear what you're saying!"

Luffy pouted cutely as she raised her face out of the green-haired woman's chest, but then her face split into its familiar grin and she turned back to the happily confused woman as she said, "So after Ace got back, Sabo came back too and he said that the three of us are goin' out to sea now instead of when we're seventeen! So we went over the cliff and then _whoosh! _and then we were on our new ship! Isn't that great?! And now we're leaving but we came back to tell you goodbye!"

Makino blinked at the nonsensical words coming out of Luffy's mouth, so she looked to her older brothers for an interpretation. Sabo stepped up and gave her a hug as Ace stepped up behind him to wait for his turn. Makino easily accepted the hug, and when Sabo stepped away fro Ace to get his turn, he explained, "I can't stay here anymore cuz my family threatened Ace and Luffy, so I stole a ship and the three of us are leaving here. We came to say goodbye before we left."

Makino blinked in astonishment at the words as Ace slid into her arms and hugged her and Luffy gently. Makino opened her mouth, panic filling her at the thought of her three kids leaving on the unsafe sea at such young ages, but then she closed it as she schooled her features. She thought for a moment as Ace left her warmth and dragged Luffy with him, the three of them looking at her expectantly. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at the three and gave them her best smile as she exclaimed, "That's wonderful!" Dark brown eyes hid the worry in them, as her three kids grinned at her happily, but she continued in an upbeat tone, "I'll miss you three, but I know that you'll be okay so long as your together and following your dreams! Right, Luffy?"

She smiled gently at the youngest of their trio as Luffy beamed at her and nodded her head enthusiastically with an affirmative, "Un!"

Makino then turned to her newly acquired kids, her two boys, as she said, "I wish you all luck on your journey, and please stay safe together." She slid her eyes to the naïve little girl between them and the boys nodded seriously as they caught her unspoken meaning. Both of them beamed at her and she smiled as she opened her arms and engulfed all three of them in one big hug. Luffy gladly clung to her and Sabo chuckled as he too hugged her back; she wasn't surprised when Ace squirmed a bit in her embrace but didn't protest or try to escape. She hugged them a bit longer, almost wishing that she could talk them out of leaving so early, but it was their choice so she let them go with a prideful smile and waved at them as they ran back to the ship and jumped aboard. She barely heard them arguing as Luffy shouted back at her, "Don't worry Makino! I'm gonna become King of the Pirates and protect them as the captain!"

"Don't be stupid, idiot! You're not the captain!" Ace's voice came drifting back as he loosed the mooring and rigging.

Sabo, at the helm, looked aggravated at them and shouted back, "Luffy, you're not the captain, and Ace, shut up already! Don't make me leave you two here!" Luffy whined incoherently as the ship started sailing away and Ace glared at him but shut up.

Makino, still waving at her three beloved little treasures, shouted out at them, "Stay safe, you three! And good luck!"

The three looked back at her and smiles broke across the three faces as they waved back enthusiastically, "BYE MAKINO!" They chorused.

Behind Makino, an old man hobbled up and shouted at the troublesome children, "WAIT YOU THREE HOOLIGANS! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'LL BE PIRATES?! DON'T YOU KNOW HOW BAD THAT WOULD BE FOR THE VILLAGE?! COME BACK HERE YOU THREE!"

The three children waved at him too and grinned at him as they shouted, "BYE MAYOR WOODSLAP!" And then Luffy continued, "I'M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES! SEE YA!" They continued to wave as the ship grew smaller and smaller on the horizon, which Makino kept up with as well until they were out of sight.

The mayor of Foosha Village, Mayor Woodslap, sighed behind her as he said in a tiredly aggravated tone – one that could only be reserved when dealing with the rambunctious Luffy and had grown to include her two brothers as well - , "Good grief…what will Garp-san say…?"

Makino simply smiled as she secretly worried and prayed for the three's safety; but something told her that they would be okay. So she turned to the mayor and optimistically said, "Well, let's get inside; we have to toast to their success and safety."

Mayor Woodslap sighed again as the crowd cheered to her idea and stormed to the Partys Bar as he followed alongside her, "They'll ruin this town's reputation." Makino just smiled as they made their way to her bar, knowing that he'd have a drink for their safety anyway.

* * *

The _Liberation _cut through the waves like a dream, sailing onward under the surprisingly expert hand of its ten year-old navigator. Sabo was smiling as he set the coordinates for a nearby island; Sabo had allowed Luffy to choose one at random from the cluster of islands nearest Dawn Island on his map. Speaking of Luffy, Sabo could hear his little sister up in the rigging, giggling her head off as she swung around like her namesake.

He glanced around, wondering where his brother was, and noticed Ace at the front of the ship; his brother's head was tilted back to soak in the sunshine as the wind blew his wavy black hair from his face. He had never seen such a serene expression on Ace's face before, though he understood it well. Leaving his place at the helm - the ship was sailing in the correct direction they were supposed t be going - and walked up beside his brother to lean against the railing. Ace didn't look up at the sound of Sabo's footfalls, nor did he acknowledge his brother's presence when he stood beside him; he didn't even open his eyes, though Sabo knew that Ace was aware of him. No words were exchanged, there was no need for words between them, as Sabo folded his arms over the railing and laid his chin n his folded arms; he too closed his eyes and let the wind and the sea air sooth him. _This _was freedom, and his heart was full as he shared it with the two people he loved most in the world, his greatest treasures, the two people who would understand what it meant to finally be _free._

Behind them, Dawn Island became smaller and smaller before vanishing completely; but none of the ASL siblings looked back. They had no need to. They had said goodbye to the one's they wished to, and now they were sailing towards their future filled with adventures.

Luffy found her way to the crows nest and clung to the mast, her sparkling eyes forward as her hand comically shielded her eyes from the sun, her signature grin lighting up her face as her iconic 'shishishishi' laugh escaped her grinning mouth. She had liked saying goodbye to Makino, and Mayor Woodslap had been funny when his face turned red and he started shouting at them as he always did. She was so excited to be starting he journey early; she was officially a pirate! And she got to become a pirate with her brothers, too! And even though they said she wasn't the captain, she just had to become stronger than them and then they would definitely name her the captain! And with her brothers on her crew, she'll definitely become King of the Pirates!

Sabo and Ace both looked up in unison when they heard a suspicious sound coming from their sister; it was a type of laugh that was similar to her iconic one, but it normally preceded her either doing something stupid or she was thinking of something idiotic. When they saw her simply grinning into the horizon, they felt their shoulders relax; she was only thinking of something stupid. They didn't particularly want her to do anything that could cause them problems when they had only just left Dawn Island; they would prefer her not to do anything idiotic now that they were out to sea, but they were realistic and they knew that that would be impossible since it was Luffy. They could hope though that she wouldn't start in on her normal stupidity and trouble-magnetism until they had at least had a full night's rest; after all, Ace was still injured from the Gray Terminal fire and fight with Bluejam, and Sabo had spent an all-nighter awake as he packed, stole their supplies, and relocated all of their stuff on to their new ship.

Sabo was suddenly exhausted as he remembered how long it had been since he had slept (it didn't help that he hadn't really slept at all when he was back at his parents mansion, worried out of his mind for his siblings as he had been), and he saw Ace muffle a yawn next to him. Sabo didn't particularly want to go to sleep yet, not when it was such a beautiful day and the first one of his freedom, but his body wasn't listening to him. Beside him, Sabo could see Ace also fighting off his own tiredness and felt even more adverse to falling asleep; after all, if he and Ace fell asleep at the same time, then that would leave only Luffy to watch over the ship. Knowing her, they'd wake up to find that she had fallen overboard and died, their ship on fire, and all of their food gone.

Sighing to himself, Sabo put his hand on his brother's shoulder and said, "Go down below and go get some rest. I'll watch over Luffy to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. I'll yell for you if anything happens."

Ace bristled as he stubbornly said, "No, you're more tired than I am. _You_ go down below and _I'll _make sure Luffy doesn't do anything stupid."

Sabo glared at his brother, too tired to find any of his normal patience, and snorted, "I'm perfectly fine! _You're _the one that got stuck in a wildfire, remember? So _you_ go get some sleep and leave this to me!"

Sparks flew from Ace's black eyes as he got forehead-to-forehead with his brother and matched him glare-for-glare while he shouted, "And whose fault do you think us getting caught in that fire was, huh?! You're the weaker of the two of us, so you go get some sleep, you fancy bastard!"

Sabo's anger flared as he yelled in his brother's face, "Huh?! You and I both know that you're the weaker of the two of us! And it's not _my _fault that you were stupid enough to get caught in a fire; you should've been in the forest in the first place! But no, you got stuck in a stupid fire and now you're so exhausted that you can barely stand! So _you _rest first, you stubborn dumbass!"

Ace yelled angrily, "I am not! _You're _the one who can barely stand, you stupid weakling!"

"AM NOT!"

"ARE TOO!"

Both Sabo and Ace raised a threatening fist in the air as they both grabbed a hand of the others' shirts, unconsciously mirroring each other, as they yelled at the same time, "YOU WANNA FIGHT, YOU WEAKLING?!"

A sudden _THUMP! _to their right caught their attention and they turned to see a fallen Luffy, totally asleep and spread-eagle with a sleepy smile on her face as she snored in time to the snot bubble that emerged from her nose. Ace and Sabo blinked, anger forgotten, to stare dumbfounded at their sister before they turned to the other and lowered their fists, suddenly feeling like a pair of idiots. Both rolled their eyes as they said in synchronization, "Together then?"

Ace rolled is eyes again and turned to scoop Luffy into his arms and carry her to lay down under the main mast - where they had the greatest shade - as Sabo shook his head affectionately and went into the cabin and returned a few seconds later with a large, red, light-weight blanket. Ace gently took his sister's treasured straw-hat and placed it off to the side and tied a piece of rope attached to the mast around the red ribbon of the straw-hat, so it wouldn't fly away in a sudden gust of wind. He then sat to one side of the sleeping Luffy and set his back against the main-mast and spread his legs out, getting comfortable, as Luffy turned into his warmth and curled into her older brother. Sabo returned a second later and spread the blanket over his relaxing brother and sleeping sister, before he climbed under the blanket and curled against his little sister after passing his top-hat to his silent brother to do the same to his hat. Ace did so and set his arms behind his head as he laid down, content with his little sister against his side and his brother on the other side of her, the smell of sea-air filling his nostrils, the warm sun sharing its' warmth, and the gentle rocking of the boat lulling him into an exhausted sleep. Sabo closed his eyes and laid his head on his own folded arm as he too was lulled into unconsciousness. The _Liberation _continued on its designated course and sailed gently, almost seeming to be keeping its' rocking to a soothing level for its' new little owners; all the while, the sea and the sky continued their perfect conditions in celebration of their newest inhabitants.

* * *

**Well, this one was shorter than my other ones (even I'll admit to that) and not really as interesting, but this was mostly just a filler chapter. Sorry it took so long (I was a little busy with my little sister) but I already know where I'll be going next. I wanted to have a little moment for the Trio and Makino and themselves; this was mostly just a bonus chapter more than anything. Sorry.**

**Anyway, on with the poll; Griffon is in the lead!**

**Griffon Zoan: 4 (**_**StarPurpleandBlue, Maniac T. Magee, toothless20, Shirani-Chan**_**)**

**Wind Logia: 3 (**_**StarPurpleandBlue, DianaLea, OtherworldlyArtist)**_

**(Higher) Tengu: 2 (**_**The Red Harlequin On The Luna, toothless20)**_

**Winged Lion: 1 (**_**Bluebird42)**_

**Raiju: 1 (**_**Bluebird42)**_

**Thunderbird Zoan: 1 (**_**toothless20)**_

**Seagull Zoan: 1 (****_MR. BimZan_****) (I aplogize, but your name wouldn't show up unless I added the space for some reason)**

**Garuda: 1 (**_**The Red Harlequin On The Luna)**_

**And, on that note, I'll call it a night and continue writing tomorrow. Sorry for the filler chapter (it was mostly just fluff) but I felt that I just **_**had **_**to add it in. After this, they get to their first island! I wonder where Luffy has chosen *evil grins*!**

**Oh! To anyone that can guess where they'll be going (or who we'll be meeting next) can get an extra vote for their choice (I'll do this extra votes thing a few times for fun ^-^)! Like, say you already voted for a griffon, if you guess correctly, I'll add another vote to a griffon (or if you voted for two at a time, then I'll add another vote to one of those that you choose); unless you wanna save it for something else later.**

**Anyway, see you all later! I should finish the next chapter before Thanksgiving, but in the case that I don't for some reason (family emergency or something like that) then I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving! See ya! ^-^**


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